Same Magic Number but Different Arrangement: Alkynyl‐Protected Au25 with D3 Symmetry

Two homoleptic alkynyl‐protected gold clusters with compositions of Na[Au₂₅(C≡CAr)₁₈] and (Ph₄P)[Au₂₅(C≡CAr)₁₈] (Na? 1 and Ph₄P? 1 , Ar=3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) were synthesized via a direct reduction method. 1 is a magic cluster analogous to [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]^? in terms of electron counts and metal‐to‐ligand ratio. Single‐crystal structure analysis reveals that 1 has an identical Au₁₃ kernel to [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]^?, but adopts a distinctly different arrangement of the six peripheral dimer staple motifs. The steric hindrance of alkynyl ligands is responsible for the D₃ arrangement of Au₂₅. The introduction of alkynyl also significantly changes the optical absorption features of the nanocluster as supported by DFT calculations. This magic cluster confirms that there is a similar but quite different parallel alkynyl‐protected metal cluster universe in comparison to the thiolated one.     

Homoleptic Alkynyl‐Protected Gold Nanoclusters: Au44(PhC≡C)28 and Au36(PhC≡C)24

For the first time total structure determination of homoleptic alkynyl‐protected gold nanoclusters is reported. The nanoclusters are synthesized by direct reduction of PhC≡CAu, to give Au₄₄(PhC≡C)₂₈ and Au₃₆(PhC≡C)₂₄. The Au₄₄ and Au₃₆ nanoclusters have fcc‐type Au₃₆ and Au₂₈ kernels, respectively, as well as surrounding PhC≡C‐Au‐C₂(Ph)Au‐C≡CPh dimeric “staples” and simple PhC≡C bridges. The structures of Au₄₄(PhC≡C)₂₈ and Au₃₆(PhC≡C)₂₄ are similar to Au₄₄(SR)₂₈ and Au₃₆(SR)₂₄, but the UV/Vis spectra are different. The protecting ligands influence the electronic structures of nanoclusters significantly. The synthesis of these two alkynyl‐protected gold nanoclusters indicates that a series of gold nanoclusters in the general formula Au_x (RC≡C)_y as counterparts to Au_x (SR)_y can be expected.     

Alkynyl‐Protected Au23 Nanocluster: A 12‐Electron System

A 23‐gold‐atom nanocluster was prepared by NaBH₄‐mediated reduction of a solution of PhC?CAu and Ph₃PAuSbF₆ in CH₂Cl₂. The cluster composition was determined to be [Au₂₃(PhC?C)₉(Ph₃P)₆]²⁺ and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction revealed that the cluster has an unprecedented Au₁₇ kernel protected by three PhC₂‐Au‐C₂(Ph)‐Au‐C₂Ph motifs and six Ph₃P groups. The Au₁₇ core can be viewed as the fusion of two Au₁₀ units sharing a Au₃ triangle. Electronic structure analysis from DFT calculations suggests that the stability of this unusual 12‐electron cluster is a result of the splitting of the superatomic 1D orbitals under D_3h symmetry of the Au₁₇ kernel. The discovery and determination of the structure of the Au₂₃ cluster demonstrates the versatility of the alkynyl ligand in leading to the formation of new cluster compounds.     

A Near‐Infrared‐Emissive Alkynyl‐Protected Au24 Nanocluster

An alkynyl‐protected gold nanocluster [Au₂₄(C?CPh)₁₄(PPh₃)₄](SbF₆)₂ has been prepared by a direct reduction method. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction reveals that the molecular structure contains a Au₂₂ core that is made of two Au₁₃‐centered cuboctahedra that share a square face. Two staple‐like PhC?C? Au? C?CPh motifs are located around the center of the rod‐like Au₂₂ core. This Au₂₄ nanocluster is highly emissive in the near‐infrared region with λ_max=925 nm and the nature of the HOMO–LUMO transition is investigated by time‐dependent DFT calculations.     

Structure of the Au23−xAgx(S‐Adm)15 Nanocluster and Its Application for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Ligands play an important role in determining the atomic arrangement within the metal nanoclusters. Here, we report a new nanocluster [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] protected by bulky adamantanethiol ligands which was obtained through a one‐pot synthesis. The total structure of [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] comprises an Au_13?xAg_x icosahedral core, three Au₃(SR)₄ units, and one AgS₃ staple motif in contrast to the 15‐atom bipyramidal core previously seen in [Au_23?xAg_x(SR)₁₆]. UV/Vis spectroscopy indicates that the HOMO–LUMO gap of [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] is 1.5 eV. DFT calculations reveal that [Au₁₉Ag₄(S‐Adm)₁₅] is the most stable structure among all structural possibilities. Benefitting from Ag doping, [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] exhibits drastically improved photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol under visible‐light irradiation compared to Au₂₃ nanoclusters.